Individual Somatic Therapy
What issues is somatic therapy effective for?
Somatic therapy is well suited to any of the issues for which one would normally seek therapy: anxiety, depression, grief, interpersonal problems, low self-esteem, life transitions, social anxiety, relationship stress, sexual issues, coping skills, spiritual crisis, and so on. These symptoms are usually signals that some habitual way of being is not supporting your present-day needs and wishes. By studying together in real time the emotions, sensations, thoughts, images, and memories connected to our current life challenges, we start to develop a map of your “default mode network”: What are the painful places I keep coming back to, and how do I keep winding up there? What emotions or experiences am I avoiding or repressing because they seem too frightening, shameful, or overwhelming, and how is my avoidance keeping me from living more fully? Which are the risks I need to take, and what will support me in taking them? When we are able to witness ourselves with interest and care, new insights and new possibilities have space to emerge.
Why include the body in psychotherapy?
In our increasingly busy and virtual world, most of us rarely find the opportunity to offer spacious attention to the bodies we live in. In somatic psychotherapy (soma is Greek for body), we deepen our work by paying close attention to the body in the here and now. The body is where our oldest and deepest memories are held, where are earliest codes are written. When we are able to slow down and sense inward, we immediately find that the body is never silent; through sensations, expressions, postures, gestures and fidgets it speaks in a language that carries deep personal meaning and history for each of us. By mindfully attuning to the body's language and listening to its long and profound memory, we are granted more focused access to the core wounds underlying present day challenges.
What happens in a session?
Like every kind of therapy, somatic therapy will include supportive dialogue exploring the themes in your life that feel painful or stuck. But rather than just talk, analyze, and strategize, somatic therapy includes abundant opportunities to slow down and give mindful attention to just how these issues occur in you in real time. Our therapists draw on leading somatic therapies such as Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR, and Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychotherapy. No experience with mindfulness or meditation is required; your therapist will gently guide you toward mindful self-awareness and support you in bringing sustained, compassionate curiosity to your present experience. Toward the end of the session, your therapist will help you make meaning of what you experienced during the session, and think about how you can integrate the fruits of your explorations into your life.
We look forward to getting to know you and helping you create the life you want.